Updates & Stories

Fire, wildlife, hard work, dirt and jaw-dropping scenery ― all subjects of our 2015 photo contest. With 101 submissions from 25 photographers, we all got a glimpse of the awesome work our crews do every day. After a nail-biting public vote on Facebook, we ended up with a Corps photo contest first – a tie for first place!  Read More

Executive Director Len Price has been selected to receive the coveted Legacy Achievement Award from the Corps Network, an honor given to two people each year who are national conservation corps leaders and have made significant, lasting contributions to the corps world.  Read More

The Conservation Corps Faces of Tomorrow initiative – a collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service to help underrepresented communities gain skills and experience in the natural resources field – has received two national awards that recognize its positive impact on individuals and the local community.  Read More

St. Kate’s alumni who work at 3M spent a recent lunch hour improving Minnesota’s landscape, without taking a step outside.  Read More

Conservation Corps crews spent a month working at Wood Lake Nature Center this fall to help improve water quality and restore prairie. Three Central District crews removed invasive buckthorn and hazard trees, and planted 75 trees and shrubs.  Read More

On a cold but sunny day in November, Conservation Corps and DNR representatives gathered to cut down the perfect tree for the governor’s mansion. Tim Brault of the DNR found the 30-foot, 25-year-old white spruce in the Chengwatana State Forest near Pine City. Mississippi Crew Leader Brianna Foster cut the giant tree and the rest of the team prepped it for delivery. Read More

Faces of Tomorrow initiative with the U.S. Forest Service aims to increase diversity in natural resources fieldSaint Paul, Minn. — On Thursday morning, a representative from Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa will accept a Chief’s Honor Award for Cultural Transformation from the U.S. Forest Service, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes the Corps for its Faces of Tomorrow initiative, a targeted approach to help underrepresented communities gain skills and experience in the natural resources field. The seasonal positions provide Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members direct relationships with employees of Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota, hands-on skills training and forestry experience. Read More

Well, this is it. The end of our term with Conservation Corps. Since I'm not one for sentimental words, I've decided a more valuable end to my blogging career would be a video.  Read More

The year is quickly coming to an end – there are only 23 days left in the term! I think we can all agree that this has been a hard year, but it has been rewarding as we have had the chance to work outside and watch the seasons change. Read More

In May of 2013 I started out my time with Conservation Corps in their Apprentice Academy program, having just spent the past several months cooped up in a florescent-lighted cubicle. Needless to say I was ready to get outside and get a little dirty. Read More